<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>To Become That Which I Fear by C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066187">To Become That Which I Fear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t/pseuds/C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t'>C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bernice Summerfield (Books &amp; Audio)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Past, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Paradox, Time Travel, friendshipping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:01:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,179</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066187</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t/pseuds/C0rrUpt3dSp1r1t</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally, their final adventure was complete. The Epoch technology gave back their lost loved ones. Benny has more friends than she ever did at one time before. And Irving Braxiatel is throwing one hell of a party. </p><p>But there's one last thing.</p><p>Someone has to start the Braxiatel Collection. And guess who- it's Braxiatel... He gives her the monumental task of stopping him from becoming the future self he fears so, while beginning work on the collection. As if he hasn't screwed with her timelines enough, she has to relive those years between in the shadows if she wants to help fix things. At least Jack will be around to help.</p><p>It's an experimental fic and I don't know whether it's good enough to continue. Leave kudos or a comment if I should write more! Post original Benny range, divergent from New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield.</p><p>Braxxy if you squint.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Irving Braxiatel &amp; Bernice Summerfield, Irving Braxiatel/Bernice Summerfield, Jack McSpringheel &amp; Bernice Summerfield, Jason Kane/Bernice Summerfield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Become That Which I Fear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was loud. Chatter erupted in the house and rave music blasted. The archeologist finally had gotten what she’d lost back. Jason, Adrian, and so much more. Their last big adventure, setting off through the worlds of the Epoch to seek out those people, those truths, and she’d found them. To celebrate, Brax had thrown a rather extravagant party in his recently acquired manor, and Benny was drinking like there was no tomorrow. Not strong stuff, but still a lot. More than when home base had been a bar, surprisingly enough. Was she glazed enough to try karaoke with Jack though? Not yet.</p><p>Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around to see her dear friend and welcoming host, Brax. "Dear Bernice, could we perhaps go talk in private?” his tone was distant.</p><p>“I’d rather enjoy the party more, but alright. I s’pose,” she shrugged.</p><p>He directed her towards his study. It was nice, had an old authentic Earth feel- combined with many possible Gallifreyan influences. Several pieces of tastefully chosen art neatly complimented the shelves and shelves of books. She sunk down into the chair across from his desk. It felt like she was about to be scolded by a schoolteacher, even though this Brax was nothing of the sort to do such things. Shutting the old wooden door, the loud music and yelling was muffled.</p><p>“Did you cut your hair?” she asked, noticing something different about him. It was really just throwing a guess at a dartboard blind, because his features were blurry.</p><p>“I did, in fact. Do you like it?” he remarked, resisting the urge to vainly run his hand through it.</p><p>Getting a closer look, she realized exactly what was different. While he was owner of the White Rabbit, his black hair had begun to grow long, and was slicked straight back until it neared his shoulders. Now it was shaved a bit in the back, and it was delicately parted with a high curve complimenting his long, sharp facial features and his handlebar mustache and goatee. The part revealed a couple locks of grey that had previously remained unseen. It looked like the old Brax, the one she knew before.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but no. I don’t,” she answered, crossing her arms.</p><p>“Well, I suppose that’s too bad then. But I have something to tell you. And Bernice- I know you’re not going to like it. If you hate me after I say it, that’s fine.”</p><p>This got her genuinely concerned, and seemingly pushed her out of the alcohol-induced trance. She raised an eyebrow. “Well, out with it then. Come on, let’s get it over with.”</p><p>He rested his head over knitted fingers and responded, “I mean you <em> really </em>aren’t going to like it, and I want you to prepare yourself. I don’t really like it either, but I’m not planning on lying to you by omission.”</p><p>There was a long, awkward silence. Nobody was sure what to say next. Staring around, Benny tried to distract herself. There was a bust across the room that seemed to represent a member of some birdlike race. She wasn’t smashed yet, but was definitely not sober enough to read the plaque below it at this distance, despite her great vision.</p><p>She heard Braxiatel begin to rhythmically tap his fingers on the desk, and sighed. “I’m ready for whatever it is. If it’s really that bad I’ll just get myself wasted on that Draconian brandy and black out for two days again.”</p><p>“I’d rather you didn’t, but if you must I won’t protest,” he paused. “I-I’m going to officially form the Braxiatel Collection,” his head fell down.</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>“I know. But it has to happen eventually. The same incarnation of myself runs it, and I’ve already given a fair few pieces to it, as well as having been present during its decline. I <em> really </em> don’t want to become him, and my timelines have always been a bit… jumbled. If at least one of the me’s doesn’t start the damn thing within the next hundred years or so a fair amount of the universe would cease to exist.”</p><p>“The Collection already caused a fair amount of the universe to cease to exist!” she spat back.</p><p>“I was afraid of that. And… if it's to be believed, I’m going to cause you a lot of pain. Years of it. I’ll explain… Avril sent a creature named Pandora into my future. It was in my mind before she gave me that crystal, but I felt it moving into that me, like electricity on a wire.”</p><p>“What does that…?” She was left confused.</p><p>“That creature is an ancient evil that, should she be allowed to escape, slowly consume me. And while I’ll undoubtedly deserve nothing short of all the blame I get- I think it will spring up unexpectedly and I won’t be protecting my mind anymore. That’s why I still can’t go back home- if it still exists.”</p><p>“That would explain a lot, but why now?” she seemed more curious than anything.</p><p>“I wasn’t planning on doing any of this until we got Jason and Adrian back- and I didn't. But just last month, before I got ahold of the mansion, the art pieces around you were shipped to me- by myself. I know I won’t ever be able to truly make up for my future mistakes. Especially since I’m likely to make them again. But I wanted you to be happy after all that time.”</p><p>She answered reluctantly, “Things are better now. I’ll give you that credit. But I don’t think I’ll be happy knowing you lose yourself.”</p><p>“That’s where you come in… I mean, if you’re willing to. I want you to stop me from doing those things. I’m aware I already altered your timeline a fair bit, but if it repairs the damage…”</p><p>“You want me to work in the shadows to keep you in check? Since I know the <em>future?”</em> she actually laughed a bit at the idea. It was an absurd idea, but with the strangeness of this universe, it could potentially work. The other Brax didn't let on much beyond being a semi-renegade timelord, and that he communed with his past and future selves, mainly to get news about archeological finds in advance, where the latest and greatest art had resurfaced, and how she suspected he got this mansion- massive intergalactic stock fraud.</p><p>“In short, yes.” He was deathly serious. “I’m throwing myself into the deep end, Bernice. And I want you to stop me from becoming that which I fear. It could be as simple as telling me when I start acting out of character, and possibly look into my mind to be sure the Pandora entity hasn't arrived in me again.”</p><p>“I’ll help you, Brax- <em>Irving.</em> But right now after that I need a stiff drink and maybe even a snog with Jack. Drunk karaoke doesn’t sound so bad right now,” she snickered to herself a bit.</p><p>“Dear Bernice, I think I’m going to join you. I’ll bring out the Draconian brandy.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>